b. 1971, Paris; lives and works in Lisbon

1994-1996 Fine Arts Advanced Course at Ar.Co, Lisbon
1990-1995 Jewellery Basic Course at Ar.Co, Lisbon
1989-1994 Drawing Basic Course at Ar.Co, Lisbon

Joana Vasconcelos is a Portuguese contemporary artist, world-renowned for her monumental sculptures. She has exhibited regularly since the 1990’s, leaving her mark all over the globe. Currently on show at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, she has previously filled the Palace of Versailles; becoming the first woman and youngest artist to exhibit in the vast, historic palace. Vasconcelos was also the first Portuguese with a solo exhibition at Guggenheim Bilbao, and represented Portugal in the 55th Venice Biennale with a floating pavilion.

We are honoured that for Cure3, we are able to offer for sale this small domestic-sized piece: Blossom Chakka. Relying on weaving and textiles, artistic techniques traditionally associated with women, Vasconcelos questions preconceptions of femininity. Scale is a big factor in her work, and when the 20cm3 cube arrived at her studio, she noted the ‘human-sized’ scale of the cube. Blossom Chakka resembles a healing lotus flower including all seven colours of the chakras. With an interest in healing and psycho-energetics, she says “When I received the cube it was just at the time of Covid-19 and I was thinking to myself how can a virus stop the world? When in fact with an illness like Parkinson’s - you stop being you. This is my way of saying that the body and the mind should connect”. With Blossom Chakka she is hoping to do exactly that. “Creativity is the greatest gift. The most free, indescribable and essential thing to human existence. Because through it, we are able to transform society, create the future and turn the world into a better place.”

Portrait Kenton Thatcher courtesy Atelier Joana Vasconcelos
Courtesy Unidade Infinita Projectos